Reliant to reveal firms with smart meter grants

By Purva Patel

Published 10:13 pm, Friday, April 6, 2012

Reliant Energy will disclose the names of companies receiving federal grants to develop its smart meter products, after the Department of Energy said the electricity retailer wasn't complying with transparency rules.

Reliant says it had an agreement with the federal agency to keep the recipients' names private because the information was proprietary, but the Energy Department insisted on the names being public after an industry trade publication made inquiries.

"We understood that approach was fine with DOE because they agreed to keep our commercially sensitive information confidential and at no time did they ask us to change," Reliant spokeswoman Pat Hammond said.

The Energy Department could not be reached for comment Friday but told the publication Smart Grid Today that Reliant's actions violated federal reporting guidelines.

The vendor names will be included in the company's next quarterly report, which is due Tuesday, Hammond said.

Smart Grid Today had asked the retail electric provider for a list of companies that received 53 contracts totaling nearly $3.7 million. It said Reliant was the only company that awarded contracts for $25,000 or more under the federal Smart Grid Investment Grant program and failed to disclose publicly which vendors landed those deals.

The program, part of the government's 2009 economic stimulus plan, promotes development of energy-efficient appliances and electrical equipment.

Reliant received grants to develop products that help customers manage their electricity use by working with smart meters, which allow more timely tracking of power usage.